Sanitary preserving can



Jan. 14, 1936. H. KARL SANITARY PRESERVING CAN Filed Sept. 19, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

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INVENPR Ne/cr/ HEL- ATTORNE Jan. 14, 1936. KARL SANITARY PRESERVING CAN Filed Sept. 19, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .IO. 55 FIG- FIGJI.

29 77 76 Tlal.

i INVENTOR #E/NE/CH K421. M M

ATTORN Y5 Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in receptacles and has particular reference to preserving cans.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved can of simple and practical construction, capable of being easily and cheaply manufactured, and which shall be sanitary and embody novel features that permit of the can being opened without the danger of metal filings or particles, entering the contents of the can, thus protecting the consumer of said contents from possible intestinal injury.

Another object isto protect the contents of a can by providing the same with a closure for either or both open ends thereof whichembodies an auxiliary protective inner cover adapted to be supported upon the edge of the body of the can which forms said open end, and be held between said edge and outer closure member in 20 such manner that said cover will form an additional hermetical seal for the can, and will not be submerged in said contents, and will effectively prevent any metal particles from falling into the body of the can when said outer closure 25 is being cut to open the can, said cover thereafter providing a removable closure which may be easily placed in position to afford a protective means for said contents when not in use so as to keep the same in a sanitary condition. To provide for the removal of said inner cover, same has a series of convolutions which form pockets into which the finger, or a gripping tool, may be inserted to grip the cover and contract the same so as to withdraw its peripheral edge from between the outer closure member and end of the can body where it is normally held before the outer closure is cut during the operation of opening the can; or, if desired, said inner cover may be torn alongsaid peripheral edge when the cover is gripped as above mentioned. Another object is to construct the auxiliary or inner cover of the can so that it can be contracted and thus enable the peripheral 45 edge thereof to be withdrawn from between the edge of the can body and the outer closure member when it is desired to uncover the contents of the can.

The above and other objects will appear more 50 clearly from the following detailed description,

when taken in connection with the accompany,

ing drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:- 55 Figure 1 is an elevation of a preserving can constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

v Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation of one 5 end portion of the body of the can with the end closure removed.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a slightly difierent form of end closure.

Figures 5, 6, and 7 are fragmentary sectional 0 views showing different embodiments of end closures and associated can body parts.

Figure 8 is an elevational view of the end closure shown in Figure 7. V

Figure 9 is an elevation partly in section of another embodiment of the invention illustrating a difl'erent type of end closure from that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section through one end of the can illustrated in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a sectional view showing the application oi. the end closure in Figure 10 to the body of the can prior to the final operation of clamping the end closure in position.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of still another form of can.

Figure 13 is a sectional view of the end closure shown in Figure 12 and,

Figures 14, 15, and 16 are views similar to Figure 13 showing different types of end closures and body constructions for the can.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, the can illustrated may be made of any suitable material such as a metal commonly employed in the manufacture of receptacles of this kind, the body of the can being indicated by the numeral 20. As is customary, said body is open-ended, and in conformity with the present invention, the open-ended formation 0 of the various modifications of can bodies may or may not be duplicated at each end of said body, as desired. It will therefore be understood that where; in the'following description, reference is made to the particular, construction or forma- 4 tion of the open end of the bodyior the end closure therefor, such reference is'to be construed to include either end of saldfcan body. As shown in Figure 3, from the open end of the body 20 the same is preferably of an outwardly tapered formation;gsucli'iasiindicated at 2|, the material ofth'e' body being crimped, if necessary, to produce such formation. Adjacent said open end and inwardly of the tapered portion 2| the can body is provided with a groove 22 one wall of which extends diagonally while the adjoining wall is disposed in a horizontal or transverse plane. The edge of the body forming the open end is preferably rolled as indicated at 23 for a purg pose which will appear in the course of the description.

Theendciosure 24 showninFigures 1 and2is of the general type illustrated in my United States Patent #l,69l,394, dated November 13,

10 1928, wherein the depending flange of the closure is provided with a series of flaps which, upon being properly manipulated, permit of the easy removal of the closure from the body or the can. The utilization of these flaps is carried forward 15 in the present invention and, as shown, the flange I! of the end closure 24 is provided along its free inner edge with an annular series of flaps 2!. Between these flaps and the outer end of the closure the flange 2! is provided with an annular go detent 21 which, in the form being described. conforms to the contour of the groove 22 in the can body after the closure has been applied to said body. In assembling the elements of the can, it is preferable to apply to the outer wall as of the groove 22 or the inner wall of the detent 21, or both, a thin layer of any suitable and desirable binder, indicated at 2' which will effectively secure the body and closure together and hermetically seal the can. In this particular so instance the binder 28 is of such a nature that it will not ofler undue resistance to the removal of the closure 14 when the various flaps are pulled outwardly with the flngers or by means of a suitable tool, this pulling action being designed as toteartheflange 28 acrossthedetent ll toa point where the closure may be lifted from the body.

In Figure 1, and-likewise in Figures. the other end of the bodv II is shown as provided with a 40 different type of closure 28 from the closure 14, the former merely having an inturned flange II which engages in a groove 3| formed in the tapered end of the body. But, as previously indicated, the two end closures may, desired, be of 5 exactly the same construction,

1 In my co-pending application #632,735, I have disclosed a novel type of an auxiliary protective covering which is adapted to'fbe interposed between the contents of the can body and the end go closures therefor and which primarily acts to catch any loose metal particles which may be formed as the result of opening the end closure by means of cutting tools generally in use, so that said-particles will not fall into the contents as of the can with possible resultant injury 'to the consumer of said contents. In said application, various methods of s porting the auxiliaryv cover in position are illustrated including the provision of an element in addition to the can body and end closure themselves,=which element is designed prevent any possibility of said'cover frombeing submerged in the contents of the can, especially when said contents are of a liquid nature. In accordance with the present invention, there is contemplated a simpleand practical method of supporting the auxiliary cover without resorting to the of any additional supporting means and when said cover is in position the same will p" tar. Thus, the aunliary cover 32 shown in Figure 2, and which in the other modifications of the invention is of substantially the same construction, is supported, adjacent its peripheral portion, upon the edge 23 of the can body which is rolled, as previously indicated, to prevent the contact of any sharp metallic edge with said cover. It is understood, of course, that the cover 32 is placed in position before the application of the end closure 24 to the can body and it will be seen that after the latter operation said cover will be securely compressed and held between the rolled edge and the main portion of the closure 24 with the outer edge of the cover projecting beyond and overlying the tapered end 2| of said body, thus forming an additional seal between the body and end closure. The cover 32 is made of material having a greater degree of flexibility than that of the material of which the can is made. As examples of the materials which may beempioyed, there is suggested the use of paper, cellophane, or rubberized cloth coated with any suitable substance which will render the cover impervious to liquids. In making the cover 32 the same is caused to assume a convolute formation in cross section so as to provide the same as with a series of concentric depressions or pockets 3! which are preferably reinforced at their bottoms by thickening the material as indicated at 34. This reinforcement is provided to minimize the possibility of the cover being punctured by 80 a cutting tool should the blade thereof be inserted through the end closure 24 directly above the pocket. Said pocket or pockets also form a means of catching and accumulating any metal particles which may be cut from the end closure 88 during the cutting operation and if desired the outer surface of the cover may have applied thereto a thin layer of any suitable adhesive material which will cause said particles to adhere thereto. The convolute formof the cover 32 and consequent provision of one or more depressions therein, presents a means whereby the cover may be easily grasped by the insertion of the fingers and thumb into said depressions when lifting the cover from the end of the can or replacing the it same in closing position. In so manipulating the cover, it is apparent that pressure of the fingers against the walls of the convolutions will have the effect of contracting the size of the diameter of the cover so that the peripheral portion thereof may be extracted from between the rolled edge '23 and overlying portion of the end closure should the detent I'l' which flts into the groove 22 of the can body and interposed between the two parts is athin layer of a suitable binder a. The inward taper of the flange It combines with the outwardly tapered portion ii of the can body to forman annular V-shaped pocket 8! into which metal particles may fall when the closure 35 is cut in the peripheral portion thereof between the point .of contact with the inner cover 32 and the outer edge of the end closure. 7 Figures 5 to 7 show various slight modifications in the formation of the can body and thedepending flange of the and closure. In Figure 5 the can body is provided adjacent its outer end with aninstrmkannulargroovell having three angu-' 1| larly disposed walls and the outer end of the body is tapered in the same manner as previously described. The depending flange M of the end closure 42 is formed with a V-shaped detent 43 which extends into the groove 40 with a binder 44 disposed in the spaces formed by the different configuration of the groove and detent. In

Figure 6 the groove 45 in the can body is substantially semi-circular in form while the detent 45 of the end closure is of channel formation so as to again provide spaces between the same and the outer wall of the groove 45 in which a binder 41 may be disposed. Again, in Figure '7, the groove48 of the can body and the detent 49 of the end closure are of different configuration, the former being V-shaped while the latter is substantially semi-circular, thus providing spaces between the two in which the binder 50 is placed. In each of the three instances described the operation of applying the end closure to the can body with the binder interposed, compresses the latter so that it will completely fill the spaces formed between the detent and groove and thus securely fasten the end closure in proper position. The three modifications just described are provided with the same kind of an opening means which is illustrated in Figure 8. This means consists of a tongue 5| constituting the extremity'of a circumferential strip defined by the score lines 52 one of which extends around the end closure above or outwardly of the groove formation so that when said strip is removed by the turning of the usual type of key-opener which receives the tongue 5l, the metal of-the detents 43, 48,- and 49 will be torn away from the binder to thus loosen the end closure so that it can be removed.

In Figures 9 to 11 anotherdifferent form of end closure 53 is shown in which the flange 54 thereof is bent upon itself intermediate its edges as indicated at 55 to form an annular pocket or groove to receive the binder 55 just prior to the application of the closure to the can body. The

end closure is shown in Figure 11 in its initial position following the application of auxiliary cover 32 to the can body, and if said end closure has been properly placed, the freeedge portion of the flange 54 is bent inwardly to the position shown in Figure 10, with another/binder 51 interposed between the edge extremity of the flange and the bottom of the groove formed in the can body. With this type of and. closure no cutting operation to remove the same is necessary as the now depending portion 55 of the end closure affords a means whereby a tool, such as indicated in broken lines in Figure 10, may be engaged with said portion in such manner that an outward pull thereupon will disrupt the binding between the closure and can bodyand thus permit of the removal of the former. As indicated by Figure 9, not only the normal top of the can body is provided with the auxiliary cover 92 but a similar cover 58 is also provided for the bottom of the can so that if said bottom should inadvertently be cut instead of the top, as very often occurs, the cover 58 will, in the same manner as previously described, prevent any'metal particles from falling into the contents of the can. In both the top and bottom covers 32 and 58 the convolutions.

therein are so formed that the cover will be provided. with a central depression 59. This de-- pression is centrally formed for the purpose of accommodating the point of that type of cutting tool in which the center of a can closure is penetrated by said point to form an axis about which the cutting knife or tool is rotated while it is severing the end closure adjacent its periphery. With the central depression 59 located directly below the axial point of said tool, said point will not penetrate the cover and the depression will form a pocket into which will fall any metal par- 5 ticles cut from the closure by said point.

The can body of Figures 12 and 13 is again of the same'construction as that shown in Figure 3 while the end closure 581s of substantially the same construction as that shown in Figure 2 with the following exceptions. The end flange 5| is of less depth so as to eliminate the flaps 25 so that the free edge of said flange, which also constitutes an edge of the detent 52, is wholly confined within the groove 22 of the can body. 'Also, the flange 5| above said detent and the main portion of the end closure adjacent its peripheral edge are provided with guiding channels 63 into either of which the blade of a cutting tool may be inserted when removing the end closure. In this 20 form of the invention the auxiliary cover 32 may have a light material 54 such as cotton, placed in the pockets or depressions so as to catch metal particles cut from the end closure, and the. peripheral portion of the cover which overhangs 25 the tapered end of the can body may be extended and curved to form small pockets 65 each of which is opposed to one of the guide channels 59 so as to receive cuttings from the end closure. The closure 50 is sealed to the can body by the inter- 80 position of a binder 85 between the detent 62 and the wall of the groove 22.

In Figure 14 the can body is provided with a groove 51 adjacent its outer end, the walls of which are disposed at an acute angle so that both 85 extend outwardly toward the open end of the can body and inwardly of the wall thereof. This groove 51 is adapted to receive the inturned edge 58 of the flange 59 of the end closure and suiflcient space is left between. a wall of the groove 51 and said edge 58 for the reception of a body of solder or other binder 10.

The end closure of this form may be removed by a cutting tool as previously described. The groove H of the form oi the can shown in Figure (5 15 has its walls disposed substantially parallel and sufficiently far apart to receive the inturned edge 12 of the flange 19 of the end closure. Said flange is doubled upon itself at 14 to form a pocket and receive a binder I5 and said doubled portion extends outwardly beyond the wall of the can body so as to provide a lip under which the end of a tool, shown in broken lines, may be inserted to remove the end closure in the same manner as described in connection with Figure 10.

In Figure 16, the end closure 15 is of greater diameter than the body of the can so that the rim portion 11 of said closure extendsbeyond the plane of said body. In this rim portion'and the depending flange l8 ther there are provided the guide channels 19 si nila to the channel 85 and said flange combines-with the tapered end 2b of the can body'l-"t {form a pocket or chamber 88 into which metal uttings may fall when the end closure is out along either of'the channels 19. The free edge of the flange; 18 is inturned and bent to form the detent gljwliich fits into the groove 82 in the. I d'y'and the closure is sealed to the latt" terposing a binder 83 between said detent. d the outer wall of said groove.

What is claimed is:

1. In a preserving can, a body having an open end, a closure for said end, and a flexible contractile inner cover for said end having its peripheral portion resting upon the edge of the body surrounding said end and interposed between said edge and said closure, said cover having concentric depressions forming means for gripping and contracting the same and also constituting recesses for receiving cuttings from said closure when the latter is being cut open along a line whose vertical plane lies inside said open end.

2. In a preserving can, a body having an open end, a closure for said end, and a flexible contractile inner cover for said end having its peripheral portion resting upon the edge of the body surrounding said end and interposed between said edge and said closure, said cover having concentric depressions forming means for gripping and contracting the same and also constituting receases for receiving cuttings irom said closure when the latter is being cut open, the outer surface of said cover having an adhesive coating.

3. In a preserving can, a body having an open end, said body adjacent said end being tapered, a closure for said open end having an annular flange encircling said tapered end, and an inner cover of convolute form in cross section having its peripheral portion resting upon the edge of said body forming said open end and overhanging the tapered end of said body so as to be held between said edge and a part of said closure.

4. In a preserving can, a body having an open end, a flanged closure for said open end, and an inner cover having its peripheral portion resting upon the edge of said body which forms said open end and held between said edge and the main part 01' said closure, the size of said closure being such that the rim portion thereoi including its flange extends outwardly beyond the plane of the can body, said outwardly extending portion combining with the adjacent end 01 said body to form an annular chamber disposed exteriorly of the periphery oi said inner cover and having a guide channel for receiving a cutting tool.

5. In a preserving can, a body having an open end and provided adjacent said end with a circumierential groove, a closure for said open end having an annular flange a portion of which is inturned into said groove to secure the closure in closing position, said flange being bent upon itself contiguous to said portion to form a pocket for receiving a binder, and said bent portion of the flange acting as a means with which a tool may be engaged when removing the cover from the can body.

6. In a preserving can, a body having an opeii end, an outer closure member for said end, and an inner non-metallic cover for said end having a peripheral portion resting upon the edge of said body forming said open end and held in such position by said outer closure member, said cover having convolutions forming concentric channels therein the bottoms 0! which are spaced sumciently from said outer closure to prevent puncture of said bottoms by a cutting tool inserted through said closure member, and said channels forming pockets to receive cuttings from said outer closure member.

7. In a preserving can, a body having an open end, an outer closure member for said end, and a flexible inner cover made of paper, said cover having a peripheral portion resting upon the edge of said body forming said open end and held in such position by compression between said outer closure member and said edge, and said cover further having convolutions iorming concentric channels therein the bottoms of which are spaced sufllciently from said outer closure to prevent puncture oi said bottoms by a cutting tool inserted through said closure member, and said channels forming pockets to receive cuttings from said closure member.

8. In a preserving can, a body having an open end, an outer closure member for said end, and an inner non-metallic cover for said end having a peripheral portion resting upon the edge oi said body forming said open end and held in such position by said outer closure member, said cover having convolutions forming concentric channels therein the bottoms of which are spaced sufliciently from said outer closure to prevent puncture of said bottoms by a cutting tool inserted through said closure member, said channels forming pockets to receive cuttings from said outer closure member and to constitute means whereby said cover may be gripped adjacent its central portion by the fingers or a gripping tool to contract said convolutions so as to withdraw the peripheral portion of said cover from between said end and closure member or tear said cover adjacent said peripheral portion, and said closure member and said body having cooperating means to secure said closure member in position and compress said inner cover between said closure member and said edge of the can body.

HEINRICH KARL. 

